Harvested grain, particularly shelled corn, is typically placed in circular steel bins for drying or storage. It is very important that the grain be deposited in the bin so that the top surface of deposited grain be in a level horizontal plane to insure uniform drying and other conditions, including balancing the load on the bin structure.
The grain is typically moved by a suitable conveyor from grain wagons and the like, such as by an auger conveyor, to the apex of the bin roof where it is deposited into an inlet opening. Existing grain spreaders are mounted in the inlet opening to intercept the incoming stream of grain. A rotatable plate on the grain spreader thereupon scatters the grain outwardly and downwardly to uniformly distribute the grain within the bin.
Existing grain spreaders often have to be adjusted from time to time to compensate for variations in moisture in the grain, rate of flow in the incoming stream of grain, and other factors that may affect the uniformity of grain flow. None of these spreaders have the ability to automatically make the necessary adjustments while the spreader is in operation, and this is particularly a problem for the variations cannot ordinarily be ascertained as soon as they occur.
Therefore, it is a principal object of this invention to provide a grain spreader that will interrupt the flow of incoming grain, and thereupon will deliver a uniform mass of grain to the grain spreading mechanism.
A further object of this invention is to provide a grain spreader that will automatically control the incoming stream of grain to compensate for variations in the speed and volume of the incoming grain.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
A grain spreader has a housing with open top and bottom portions, and a side wall that tapers inwardly and downwardly from the top portion. A spinner plate is located in the upper portion to intercept the inflowing stream of grain and to create a shower of grain to the outer portions of the housing for gravity movement of the grain towards the bottom portion of the housing. A conventional grain spreading mechanism is located below the housing.
A motor with a downwardly extending drive shaft is located in the upper portion of the housing. A valve assembly is connected to the drive shaft, and is comprised of upper and lower cam elements which have engaged inclined cam surfaces thereon. The lower cam element is secured to the drive shaft.
A horizontal plate is secured to the top of the upper cam element and has one or more upstanding baffles thereon. The plate has a center aperture to receive the shaft and can freely rotate around the drive shaft as permitted by the rotational ability of the lower cam element.
The cam elements are normally engaged as their cam surfaces are superimposed upon each other. A space exists between the perimeter of the plate and the tapered side wall to determine the width of the grain passageway when the plate is in its lowered position.
However, if and when the flow of grain increases and begins to substantially encompass the baffles on the top of the plate, the grain interferes with the rotation of the valve assembly insofar as the upper cam element is concerned, and the upper cam element, the plate, and the baffles cannot continue to rotate in coordination with the drive shaft and the lower cam element. As a result, the cam surfaces of the two cam elements separate, and are connected only with portions of the peripheries of the cam surfaces, wherein the second or upper cam element is forced upwardly. Its upper movement is limited by a stop element on the shaft, and the cam elements never completely disengage each other. The raising of the plate with the upper cam element gradually increases the lateral distance between the perimeter of the plate and the tapered side wall, which increases the width of the grain passageway, thus allowing more grain to move through the system to accommodate the increased flow of grain through the system.
The plate will rise to its maximum condition, or positions approaching this level, automatically determined by the increased amount of grain flow. This happens automatically without any exterior adjustment. All the while, the grain passageways deliver a full, uniform amount of grain to the lower open bottom of the housing, for distribution by the spreading assembly.